Psychosis
by Silvermoontwentyseven
Summary: When Leo and Donnie are taken captive by the Kraang, Raph and Mikey are their only hope. But even if their brothers can rescue them in time, will they ever be the same again?
1. Chapter 1

**Silvermoon A/N: So! This is a new story I've been blessed to be working on with Poetique823 for the past...well forever, because we've been planning it since April or something. Anyway, we've teamed up to bring you guys an awesome drama of our favorite mutant turtles! Poetique has written both Mikey and Donnie's POV for this story, and I'll be writing Leo and Raph's. For those of you who are familiar with her writing, you should be ecstatic, because she does great things with Mikey and Donnie's characters. And if you haven't read her stuff, I seriously suggest taking the time to do so. She's a truly gifted writer and I promise you will absolutely LOVE every one of her works!**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own TMNT or Nickelodeon, but we wish we did. Also, as the summary suggests, there are going to be some intense scenes in later chapters, so consider this a warning for you particularly squeamish readers.**

* * *

 **Chapter One:** **Separated**

"Mikey, _move_!" I snap, shoving my little brother out of the way for the tenth time. "You can't just keep standing there like some sorta slack-jawed idiot—"

"I got distracted!" he shouts, dodging another plasma blast.

"Distracted?" I snarl. "You're getting shot at! What could possibly distract you from that?"

"Will you two just shut up?" Leo yells from across the roof. He takes out another Kraang-droid in the wide arch of his katanas, and the busted head clatters to the ground, sparking. "We should loop back onto that other building—this one's getting a little crowded—"

The screeching electronic sounds of alien laser guns pierce the air as Leo swears under his breath and rolls to the right to avoid the blasts over his head. "Fall back!"

I growl and stick the closest bot in the chest with my sai. A spray of sparks follows the attack, and not a second later, the ugly little brain thing pops out and hits the ground running. I turn on my heels and follow my brothers as we scramble for higher ground. These freaks just keep coming!

I throw myself from the rooftop and latch on to the nearby fire escape, climbing up the metal rungs, skipping steps, and leaping onto the next building with a frustrated huff.

"What now, Fearless?" I mutter, glaring at my worn-out brother.

He wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "We can do this," he reassures. "There were only a dozen or so left. Just stick close and draw them up here. We'll wipe them out and be on our way—"

But the whirring of helicopter blades stops my brother in his tracks. We all look overhead to see the aerial machine approaching, with more Kraang-droids and more guns. An exhausted groan emits from all four of us.

"Seriously?" Mikey whines. "Come on, man! Don't they have something else to do?"

"Besides reducing us to piles of goo on the side of the street?" Donnie grumbles. "No."

"Focus, guys," Leo presses. "We can do this."

"Of course we can," Donnie comments. "But I really don't want to."

"This is gonna take forever!" Mikey protests. "We're not even going to have time for pizza!"

Donnie arches a brow. "That shouldn't be your biggest concern at the moment."

"Will both you dorks just can it?" I snarl. "We can take these scrap heaps! Now let's go!"

Mikey groans dramatically. He has no choice but to follow us, but that doesn't stop him from complaining the entire time about all the things he'd rather be doing. I'm this close to smacking him upside the head, and I would if I didn't have fifty thousand Kraang-droids trying to fry me.

We switch rooftops. Well, actually we switch five rooftops. I slam my sai through the shoulder of an oncoming brain container and rip the blade across the main circuit, sending sparks and smoke sputtering from the machine while the pink lump of flesh squeals and makes a run for it. I kick the alien squirt right off the rooftop, turning around just in time to bash another head.

"Leo," I growl, rendering the robot in half with a jerk of my arms. "This is looking more like a retreat than a fight!"

"Yeah," Leo scoffs, breathless as he swipes his katanas and sends three more mechanical bodies to the ground in pieces. "Maybe a retreat's not such a bad idea."

I groan inwardly and plant my foot into the cold, hard chest of yet another Kraang-droid. I hate it when we retreat. It's like patting our enemy on the back and confessing that we're just not good enough. That's not what fighters do—that's not what _I_ do—

"Raph!" Leo shouts. "Raph, we've got to pull back! There are more coming from the east—"

"I ain't pulling back yet!" I snarl, stomping a brain into the concrete with a satisfying squish. "Not till we get all these metal freaks and stuff their bodies in the trash compactor!"

"Raph," he warns. But I ignore him and go right on charging into the oncoming horde of Kraang. Leo can give up all he wants, but I'm not letting these meat-heads get away.

With limbs flailing and blades hacking and slashing, I throw myself head-first into the mass of metal and squealing pink flesh. My senses and thoughts blur into the black and red of adrenaline, until all I know is the movement. The coiling of muscle, the rush of blood, the quick draws of breath as I tear my enemy to shreds. And for a few moments, that's all there is.

Until—

"Raph!"

Leo's voice shatters the illusion of my strength, and not a second later, a searing pain rips across my left arm. I gasp, falling from the heat of battle and into the sudden, sickening warmth of injury. Shock slips in, stealing my senses from me. I sway to the right, clutching my arm, and Leo swoops in to slice a good number of Kraang in half. Their bodies fall to the ground, spraying sparks and fluid. I stagger again, searching aimlessly for something solid to grab hold of when Leo reaches out for me. The breath is knocked from me when I'm hauled against his plastron. He snatches my arm, breathing heavily, fearfully.

He curses. "Raph, you could've gotten yourself killed," he growls, inspecting the flaring wound. My stomach churns at the smell of burnt flesh. "That laser blast was _this_ close to hitting you in the head!"

I struggle to swallow, nose crinkling at the abhorrent stench. "I-I'm fine, Fearless. Just lemme—"

"No," he bites. "We're done. I'm not letting anyone else get hurt." His voice raises as he calls out to our brothers. "Mikey, Donnie!"

My vision sways and I groan, quickly slipping from his grasp. "Leo, I told you, I'm fine. I've had worse, and we've still got Kraang to bash—"

But he grabs me by the shoulders and drags me up, locking eyes. "Raph, no. This is not the time to argue. We've got to get home so Donnie can take a closer look at your burn."

"Leo—"

"Shut up and do what you're told, Raph!"

He shoves me back and I hit the concrete—hard. More plasma blasts light up the night sky above me, and I can hear Leo's strangled grunts and the clanging of his swords against the metal bodies surrounding us. My stomach twists into little knots as I fight to regain my composure.

"Gah—" I choke, struggling to pull myself from the cold pavement.

It hurts—oh man, it hurts—

 _Shut up! Just shut up and get back on your feet! Fight!_

Why is everything…spinning…?

I think I'm gonna puke—

Leo yanks me up from the ground, catching my breath in my lungs.

"Move, Raph!" he snaps. "Mikey, Donnie, this way!" He tugs me alongside him, shoving my head down to dodge another barrage of shots.

"You okay?" he huffs. I swallow hard and grumble something indistinct in response.

Shoulda saw that one coming—

Why wasn't I paying more attention?

I'm gonna hear about this for the rest of the month…

"Yeah," he grunts. "Thought so."

The shrieks of Kraang-droids threaten to make my ears bleed. Leo helps me down from the ledge, and we drop onto an old fire escape on the side of the building.

"Here," Leo whispers, nudging me forth. "Through the window."

We both slip inside a busted, abandoned section of what used to be apartments before some fire broke out and ruined the structure. I gingerly lift my hand to my wound, but Leo smacks it away, shaking his head.

"Don't touch it."

"But it hurts," I growl.

He sighs, whirling around nervously, like he's expecting attackers to burst through the walls. He lowers his voice.

"Just…just wait until we get back home, okay?" He tilts his head sympathetically—a look that makes my gut turn. "How bad is it? Is it stinging or throbbing? Gosh, Raph, you should've just listened to me in the first place! Now we have to get you back to the lair and patch you up, and Master Splinter's gonna have a fit that someone got hurt!"

I flash him a scowl, lip curling just slightly over my teeth, but he doesn't seem to notice. He just keeps blabbering on, like usual.

"Ugh, maybe we should bind it with something," he mutters. "Is it bleeding? No, burns don't bleed. Do they? Do you think it's deep or—"

"Leo," I growl, eye twitching. "Shut up."

It's embarrassing enough to get hit during a fight, but now Leo's babying me like I'm about to drop dead. Honestly, getting blasted just isn't enough, is it? I've gotta take crap from both sides.

There's a thump overhead that makes Leo flinch, whipping out his katanas. It's not even his touchiness that's the most annoying—it's the way he's standing in front of me like I'm some defenseless thing that needs to be protected. I roll my eyes and twirl my sai in my good hand, but it isn't Kraang that come through the opening: It's Mikey and Donnie. They both stumble in, almost falling on top of each other as they scramble for solid ground. They're panting in exhaustion, slick with sweat and dirt and grime.

"Dudes, what happened up there?" Mikey gasps. He's bleeding from a gash on the side of his head, but the sticky red's already dried to his skin.

"Raph got hit," Leo explains, grabbing my shoulder as if I'm about to fall over. My brow knits and I turn my dagger-like glare to the floor, trying to focus on anything but the humiliation swirling in my mind. The wound is pulsing now. Heat and pain throb across the affected area, and the smell's only getting worse—

"Let me see." Donnie rushes to my side, lifting my injured limb to examine the blast mark. The sides of his mouth tug into a tight frown and he wipes the grunge from his brow. He's got bruises up his left shin and on his outer right thigh. Must've fallen pretty hard.

"It's not third-degree," he mutters, prodding at the burnt skin. I hiss and jerk my arm away from him. He eyes me warily. "But we need to get it taken care of before infection sets in." I stumble a little to the side, sucking in a hard breath through my teeth. Why am I so shaky? I've been hit before—

But not by a plasma blast—

Not burned—

 _Not in the middle of a fight you said you had control of._

I groan and grip the sides of my head in a frantic attempt to shut the thoughts off.

"You need to lie down, Raph," Donnie says earnestly. "I think you're in shock—or close to it." Both him and Leo help to steady me, but their concern only makes me feel worse.

I'm being suffocated.

I swat them away frantically. "Shut up—I'm fine. Now quit crowding me, 'cause you're just making it worse."

"Uh, guys," Mikey pipes from the window. "I know this is a bad time and all, but we've only got like ten seconds before the Kraang swarm the place. Any ideas?"

Leo huffs out a frustrated breath and snarls. "Alright, alright—we've got no choice but to retreat."

Just hearing that word makes me cringe. We shouldn't be retreating—we should be kicking their alien butts to the moon!

"We'll split up," Bossy-McLeaderPants continues. "I'll take Raph. Mikey, you go with—"

"I got Raph," he says confidently. Leo hesitates, his stern gaze flickering briefly between the two of us. I'm not really in a position to argue, and I know Mikey is less likely to annoy the crap out of me for getting shot, so I say nothing.

"You sure?" Leo asks, pressing. Mikey nods with fierce determination.

"Okay," Leo breathes. "I guess that leaves you and me, Donnie. We'll split up and lose them in the streets. Rendezvous back to our spot, got it? Whoever gets there first will wait in the sewers for the other team."

Shouting and the clanking of footsteps echoes overhead, dangerously close. Leo nods towards all of us.

"Alright guys, let's get moving." His eyes fall on Mikey and I, steeled with responsibility and concern. "Be careful."

Mikey just gives him a thumbs-up. "You got nothing to worry about, bro!" He snatches my good arm and tugs me towards the exit. I grumble something unpleasant, but follow nonetheless.

"Yo dudes!" Mikey shouts back, grinning. I already know by the look on his face that he's turning this 'tactical retreat' into some idiotic game. "Whoever gets there first gets the TV for a week!"

"Mikey!" Leo shouts. "This isn't a race, much less a game!"

"What," I join in, taking advantage of the opportunity to push my brother's buttons in any way I can. "You afraid you're gonna lose, Lame-a-nardo?"

"Don't encourage him, Raph!" he snaps back. We reach the window and heave ourselves onto the fire escape. "Mikey, seriously, just get there safely, and—Mikey? Mikey!"

But we're already out the building and leaping into the streets, leaving Leo a flustered, bossy mess behind us.

 **~T~**

"We are so getting the TV for a week!" I gloat to Raph as we outrun the Kraang droids that are still two rooftops behind us.

"Yeah, sure whatever." He grumbles, clutching his injured arm to his chest as we jump down to the next rooftop. He's still pretty ticked about Leo telling us to fall back. I like trash-talking and kicking Kraang butt as much as the next turtle, but the odds were def not in our favor. Gotta live to fight another day, right?

"Aw, don't worry, Raphie. You can play Cracker Jack Kraang next time."

He snorts and smirks at me. "Yeah, and I'll even save you the pink squishy prize inside."

I laugh loudly. At least I was able to pull out a sarcastic banter from my testy older brother. Everything will be fine. When we get home, Donnie will patch up Raph's arm; Master Splinter will be glad we're safe; and more importantly, Raph and I will totally beat Leo and Donnie back to the rendezvous spot! It's gonna be awesome to have the TV for a whole week….well, as long as Raph doesn't make me watch those boring motorcycle shows. Man, I wish I would have added my chores to that bet, then I could—

My last thought is rattled as something roughly grips the top of my shell and yanks me backward. My yelp is cut short when a callous hand covers my mouth. I frown. Smells like leather and sweat. Twisting my neck, I see my brother has pulled me under a water tower. He holds me roughly to his plastron as we listen to Kraang droids clunk on top of the tower as they bound for the next building top. They continue tramping the rooftops in the direction they think we went. When we hear the last droid past overhead, Raph shoves me away from him, bending over slightly, curling his arm protectively against him. He must've aggravated it when he pulled me out of the Kraang's sight.

"Dude, are you—"

"C'mon, the meet-up spot is just below this fire escape." He tersely cuts off my concern as he points over the side of the building we're on. I follow him as he slides down the railing of the fire escape. With his good arm he lifts the manhole cover, giving me a rushed gesture to hurry up. I climb down the sewer ladder first, as Raph follows right above me sliding the cover back in place.

Aside from the tunnels echoing our pants and heavy breathing, it's quiet as we wait for Leo and Donnie to join us. To the victors goes the TV!

 **~T~**

We sit in the darkness, the silence broken only by our heavy breath and the dripping of the sewer pipes. Mikey fidgets beside me.

"Is your arm okay?" he asks quietly. I brush him off.

"It's fine."

"Are you sure? 'Cause it didn't look too great—"

"I said I'm _fine_ , Mikey," I hiss. I keep my eyes on the manhole cover above us, waiting for the darkness to be punctured by the beam of moonlight that shoots down whenever the cover is removed. I wait…and wait…and wait.

But there's nothing.

"Where are they?" I growl, my fists bunching up at my sides. "Leo said to meet at the rendezvous point. That's this street, right?"

Mikey shrugs. "That's what it was last time."

My lip curls. "Then why are they taking so long?!"

"Maybe they took the long way," he mutters. "They were behind us, after all."

My nostrils flare with breath. "We shouldn't have listened to Leo about retreating," I seethe, pacing. "We could've handled it! What, are we scared of the Kraang now?"

"He only said that because you got shot—"

I whirl around at him. "My arm's fine, Mikey!"

He backs up a little bit, and I feel a pang of guilt at the look on his face. He sighs and leans against the wall.

"Fine, whatever. I'm just saying that he had his reasons. Besides, we were outnumbered anyway. Did you really want to stay on that roof fighting all night?"

I make a guttural sound in the back of my throat. "No, but that doesn't mean we can just…just run away!"

Mikey looks at me, eyes glinting oddly in the darkness. "You sure you're not just upset because you got hit?"

My fingers curl into fists at my sides.

Of course I'm upset. Why wouldn't I be?

But I'm not gonna admit it—especially now that he's brought it up. So I just slump against the tunnel wall and cross my arms, making a point to avoid any hints of the pain that's burning through the spot on my arm where the laser hit me.

Minutes go by, and the silence becomes maddening. It gets worse when Mikey starts humming to himself. I finally break and push off of the wall with a low growl.

"That's it, I'm going top-side to look for them."

His eyes widen. "But Raph, Leo said—"

"Do I ever care what Leo said?" I bite. I grip the rungs of the ladder and start climbing up, and with an exaggerated groan, Mikey follows.

 **~T~**

I sigh as I jump from the dumpster to the fire escape. Forward flipping onto the roof, I only catch a glimpse of Raph's bandana tails before he jumps to a lower building.

"Hey, wait up, Raph!" I shout as I run the rooftops to catch up with him.

Maybe I should have stayed at the meeting spot and waited for Leo and Donnie…but then who would make sure Raph didn't get his other arm blasted with a laser gun? What if they're on their way to the rendezvous spot and then see we're not there? Leo will be worried sick and Don will want to look at that nasty burn on Raph's arm.

It doesn't take long for me to catch up to Raph. We continue to scan the streets and alleyways below as we backtrack, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. I pull out my T-phone and dial Leo. No answer. I try Don. Still no answer. There's a knot of fear doubling over in my stomach. Something's wrong.

No…no. I shake the doubt from my mind. They're totally fine, they just got caught up kicking some serious Kraang butt that's all. Their T-phones are just on silent or something. I smile briefly to myself. Yeah, nothing to worry about.

"Dude, we should just go back to the spot. Leo's gonna chew our heads off for not following orders. My brain will melt from boredom if I have to hear 'Leo Lecture' number 574," I jokingly shout as I hop from the Antonio's Pizza billboard down onto the roof of the industrial warehouse where Raph is. Leo and Donnie totally owe us pizza for all this extra running around.

"Shut up," he snaps. "I told you I don't give a flip what Leo said. Something ain't right." He sounds ticked off, but the uncontrolled pitch in his voice tells me his testiness is more from worry than anger with me. Something's gone wrong and he feels it too.

On the roof of the warehouse, a reflective glare catches my eye from below, causing me to skid to a halt. I look down at the backside of the building, wondering if my eyes are just playing tricks on me, but then I see the gleam of light again.

Something's not right.

Using the downspout to twist my way to the ground, my feet land in something wet and sticky. I look down. It's blood.

Something's definitely not right.

As I walk around the industrial size dumpster that knot twists ten times tighter in my stomach. I can't stop the sudden gasp that escapes my lips. A smashed T-phone and twin katanas lay abandoned on the ground. Katanas, but no Leo. With a trembling hand, I pick up the hilt of one of his katanas. The blade is broken to nearly half its length.

This is so not good.

"Raph," my voice is a broken whisper, "Raph!" I shout louder this time as panic grips me. I take a few steps back before my shell collides with something.

"Whoa, easy Mike, I'm here." Raph says gruffly, holding me tightly by the shoulders. He'll know what to do and so will Donnie.

"Raph! I saw this light from the roof…then the blood…and then I found Leo's swords, but no Leo…and…and….where's Donnie?" I assumed Raph found Donnie, but when I look behind him I don't see my tall brainy bro anywhere.

Raph's eyes darken, and he pulls out two pieces of a broken bo staff that looks like it's been blasted in half with several darts sticking of them. With an angry growl, he slams them to the ground.

"Those pink slimeballs …" His hands clutch into tight fists at his sides as he glares into the distance. There is rage boiling just below the surface as his body trembles to contain it. "Mikey, go home. I'm going to get Leo and Don." His hands glide over the sais in his belt.

It takes me a moment to process what my hot-headed brother just said. As kick-butt as my big bro is, there's no way he can take out all those Kraang by himself. I stubbornly stand in front of him to block his exit. "What? No way, bro! I'm going with you."

"Shell, Mikey, I don't have time to freakin' argue with you. I don't need you getting in the way. Go home, now."

I see a glimpse of worry in his eyes before he blinks it away and replaces it with his usual bullheadedness. His shoulder shoves me out the way as he takes off in a sprint.

I huff in annoyance at being brushed off and I wordlessly take off after him. I don't have to run far before I notice my brother's pace begin to slow into a zigzagged path. I easily catch up to him, grabbing him by his good arm before he face-plants into the asphalt. His arm is sweaty and there's a visible tremor throughout his body. I keep a firm grip to hold him steady.

"Raph, please," I whimper, pulling gently on his arm. "Let's go home."

I can practically feel the resistance pulsing from him, so I widen my eyes until they feel watery. "What if you get hurt again? I can't find them by myself."

Pulling the 'scared little brother' card is a low blow, but it's the only thing I can think of to keep Raph from going all 'terminator turtle' by himself and getting hurt again. I blink my teary eyes, putting my pout into overdrive. "Sensei can patch you up, and then we can find Leo and Donnie together. Just…just don't go by yourself…please."

Okay, so some of this little brother act is for real. I really am worried about Leo and Donnie, and I'm really scared Raph will get shot with another laser gun—or worse. He isn't looking so good. I stare at his other arm. It's red and swollen with an angry blister that takes up most of the lower limb.

He stares at me with similar glossy eyes, but I think it's more from exhaustion and shock.

"Yeah…" He breathes out with a sigh as he rubs the side of his head, and his shoulders slump in defeat. "Yeah…okay, little brother. Let's go home."

 **~T~**

"Hang in there, bro," Mikey says for the fiftieth time. I groan in response, unable to find the strength to stay mean as I stagger past the turnstiles.

"Sensei! Sensei, we need help!"

I wince at my brother's shouting. It's too loud…everything's too loud…

"Michelangelo, Raphael—my sons, what happened?"

I lift my head at Splinter's voice to see him rushing towards us, his face grim with worry. His hands slip beneath my arms as he helps Mikey lead me to the couch. I slump into the cushions with a shaky moan as my vision sways and tips.

"He got hit, Sensei," Mikey explains. "One of the Kraang shot him with their plasma guns."

Splinter's throat works as his hands glide to my wound. He closes his eyes for a moment to calm himself before addressing Mikey.

"Go get the First Aid Kit," he says firmly. "And some clean water."

I can hear Mikey's footsteps as he takes off for the lab, and Splinter gingerly lifts my wounded arm, eying the burn with fear.

"S-Sensei," I pant. "T-They took them…Leo and Donnie… The Kraang took them."

His amber eyes widen. "What?"

"I got the stuff, Sensei!" Mikey comes barreling back into the room, sloshing cool water onto my leg as he skids around the couch.

"W-We gotta go find them…before…before something bad happens…" My mind drops into that black pit of worry and fear that I try so hard to stay out of, and my thoughts immediately melt into visions of pain, torment and death. They could be dying right now, and we're hiding down here, whining over some stupid injury when we could be— _should be_ —fighting to find them. I clench my fists at my sides, irritating my burn, and I try to sit up.

"Raphael," Splinter chides, gently coaxing me back down. Mikey sits beside him and hands him a clean towel. "Your injury needs attention. You will be of no help to your brothers in this condition."

"B-But they're gonna get hurt," I growl. "We can't leave them to— _Gah!_ " I hiss, teeth clenched, as Splinter begins to wash my burn with cool water and soap. Mikey helps hold me still while I twitch and grunt in discomfort.

"It's okay, Raph," my little brother whispers. "We'll find them. But we have to take care of you first, so just lie still, alright?"

My breath comes heavy and fast. My nostrils flare and I clamp my eyes shut, tensing my body against the unwelcome sensation, and while I endure a good ten minutes of it, it's nothing compared to the sting of the alcohol. My back immediately arches and a whimper gets stuck in my throat. Waves of heat flush through my system and black dots begin to punch holes in my vision.

"Keep still, my son." His voice does little to soothe me, but it helps when he begins to smear some sort of healing ointment over the area. I force out another string of labored breaths before resting my head back on the cushion. Sweat is slick on my brow, and my entire body is buzzing with heat and anxiety.

"Michelangelo, hand me some wrappings."

I keep my eyes shut and listen to the crinkling of plastic being torn from the package of fresh bandages. Splinter gently lifts my arm again and starts to loosely bind the wound. While they both tend to me, I can't help but to relive the same moment over and over again. I can see it all like a movie in my head: The Kraang's onslaught, Leo shouting, the blast searing my arm and knocking me back. And finding my brothers' weapons, broken and abandoned in the city streets…

A groan slips from me, but it isn't caused by the physical pain.

This is all my fault. If I hadn't gotten shot, if I hadn't been so reckless, we wouldn't have had to retreat, to split up, and we wouldn't be here cleaning my stupid arm.

 _It's all my fault._

"Where did you last see your brothers?" Splinter asks softly after my sounds of discomfort have lessened. I crack one eye open to find that he's finished bandaging my wound and is now placing the medical supplies back in the box.

Mikey's blue eyes are misty. His steady gaze holds mine and he gently traces his fingers down my good forearm in an attempt to soothe me.

"We had to split up," he says slowly. "There were too many, and Raph got hit. Leo…he told us to meet up at our rendezvous point and wait for one another. Raph and I…we got there first…but Leo and Donnie never showed up."

A sting runs up my nose as I listen to my little brother. He's trying hard to keep himself together for my sake, but I can hear the fear in his voice, and I can see the concern in his eyes. He blinks a few times and clears his throat.

"We went back up to check and make sure they were okay, but we couldn't find them. And then I…I saw Leo's katanas in one of the alleyways. They were broken, and there was blood, and then Raph showed up with Donnie's bo staff and I—"

"Stay calm, Michelangelo," Splinter hushes, steadying Mikey with a hand on his shoulder. "Panic and fear will only cloud your mind, and your brothers need you to remain alert."

"But they're gone, Sensei," I mutter. "And if we can't go find them now…we might lose them for good."

Splinter exhales and lowers his gaze. I know he's worried, but I can tell he's trying his best to stay strong for us. I can't imagine how scared he must be, knowing that Leo and Donnie are out there like prisoners, alone and defenseless. My fingers twitch and clench into fists against the cushions at the thought.

"We will save them, my sons. You must believe that." He hesitates for a moment, his heavy gaze flickering between each of us in some attempt at comfort. With a sigh, he finishes packing up the supplies and picks up the box, standing to his feet. "I must go meditate on what lies before us. But for now, sleep, and gather your strength."

The sound of his footsteps begin to fade, and from the living room, his last words echo through every fiber of my being.

"Your brothers are going to need it."

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 **Poetique823 A/N** : Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter of "Psychosis"! Be sure to leave us a review, let us know what you think! We have some awesome things in store for this chapter, so stay tuned! XD

 **Silvermoon** **A/N** : I don't know about you guys, but I'm super excited for this thing to take off. Dark and gritty, angsty feels, here we come!


	2. Chapter 2: Waking Up

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it's been so long since our last update. Collaboration requires us to work around our real life schedules, and that's not an easy thing to do. But we appreciate your patience and support, and we hope you guys will enjoy this chapter! Again, Poetique, in all her awesomeness, wrote Donnie's POV, and I wrote Leo's. The Italicized sections are flashbacks to what occurred between the fight and finding out that Leo and Don were missing.**

 **Disclaimer: We do not own TMNT or Nickelodeon, but we wish we did.**

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 **Chapter Two:** **Waking Up**

 _The roof caves in only minutes after Mikey and Raph leave. Donnie and I scramble for safety, dodging falling debris and heavy chunks of cement. I smash through the window with my katanas, sending a spray of glass all over the floor._

 _"_ _Go, Donnie!" I shout. He nods hastily and heaves himself over the window's edge, dropping to the eaves of the building below._ _He slides down the broken tiles before hitting the asphalt with a stifled grunt, and with one quick glance behind me, I push myself up and over._

 _The shock of my landing is poorly absorbed in my ankles and I wince, biting down the pain as I slip from the eave and tumble onto the street below. The sting of skin peeling from the rough ground hums throughout my body, but I don't have time to give the pain any thought._ _Staggering to my feet, I draw in sharp breaths of air and reach to help Donnie stand._

 _"_ _You okay?" I huff. He nods shakily._

 _"_ _Y-Yeah. Just a little bruised."_

 _I dip my head, noting the dull heat in my ankles._

 _"_ _Come on," I say quickly. "Mikey and Raph went west, so we should go east and loop back."_

 _The robotic screeching grates on my ears and I look up with narrowed eyes to see the Kraang gathering by the window we just leapt out of._

 _"_ _Let's go," I mutter. We take off across the street, keeping to the ground to avoid further detection. Neither of us say a word—we're too out of breath, too flustered, and I doubt either of us can focus on anything other than escaping and returning to our home._

 _We slow down three blocks from the rendezvous point. Crouched behind an industrial dumpster, we catch our breath, and I become vaguely aware of the cuts and welts littering the both of us._

 _"_ _That bruise on your thigh looks deep," I mutter, eying him. He just grunts and waves me off._

 _"_ _I landed wrong…but I'm fine. We just need to get back so I can take care of Raph's arm before he makes it worse."_

 _I scoff. "I still can't believe he didn't listen to me. I didn't think he'd need much convincing for a retreat when we were being shot at by fifty thousand Kraang-droids."_

 _"_ _Yeah, well, that's Raph for you," he mutters. Pain crosses his expression for an instant as he slides up against the wall. "You know, I don't care what Sensei says—I'm sleeping in tomorrow."_

 _I laugh and gingerly maneuvering to my feet. "Can't argue with that."_ _Taking a deep breath, I wish we had more time to recoup. "Ready?"_

 _He nods in affirmation, and we slink back along our route, but we don't get more than a hundred feet before the blast of a laser cannon comes crashing into the building next to us. I grab Donnie by his shell and pull him back, knocking both of us to the ground a split-second before impact. Bricks and chunks of rubble go flying every which way, grazing our backs and the tops of our heads like shrapnel. Smoke and dust clouds the alleyway, and my ears are ringing with the sound of the mini explosion._

 _"_ _Donnie," I gasp, choking on the haze that thickens the air. "Donnie, are you okay?"_

 _He coughs weakly beside me. "I-I think so."_

 _Grunting, I pull myself to my knees. "Hurry, before the smoke clears."_

 _We both stagger to our feet as I grab him by the arm. My vision tips uneasily and I have to swallow down the fear that's quickly beginning to swell in my chest._

 _We'll be okay, we'll be okay—_

 _"_ _Leo!" Donnie gasps. "There's a cross-street past those buildings that leads to a subway station. If we could—"_

 _His voice is cut off by the firing of plasma guns. We lunge for cover behind the dumpster, practically butting heads as we scramble for safety._

 _"_ _This is bad," he hisses. "Like, really bad."_

 _"_ _We're fine," I reassure sharply. "We just have to get out of this alleyway. They've got us cornered."_

 _"_ _What about the roof?" he asks._

 _I frown as the whirring of helicopter blades answers his question. He groans and buries his face in his palms._

 _"_ _Leo—"_

 _"_ _I know!" I snap. "Just—just help me figure something out!"_

 _"_ _The only way would be to fight," he retorts. "We can't get anywhere unless we break from this alley."_

 _"_ _Then we fight," I growl. His eyes widen._

 _"_ _Do you see how many there are? Leo, they have a cannon, for crying out loud—"_

 _"_ _You just said it was the only way!"_

 _"_ _Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I was actually suggesting that we—"_

 _"_ _I'll handle on the Kraang-droids," I bite. "You focus on shutting that cannon down."_

 _I push from the dumpster and hurl myself at the group of robots surrounding the large weapon. Lasers immediately begin to shoot in my direction as every Kraang turns their attention towards me. The crossfire becomes intense and heat smothers to air. I duck and roll, twisting over trash cans and flipping backwards off of the walls to avoid getting shot. With a heavy swipe of my blade, I cut down the first three Kraang-droids closest to me and pray under my breath that Donnie is utilizing my distraction to reach the cannon._

 _Two more meet the sharpened edge of my blades. I whip my head around towards the weapon they've rolled in, recognizing it from the time we stormed the World Wide Genome Project. I see Donnie out of my peripherals as he begins to pull the cover off the main circuit board. I just have to give him enough time—_

 _WHACK!_

 _Crying out more from shock than pain, I whirl around to see the droid that just smacked me upside the head with the butt of its gun._ _My lip curls above my teeth as the rage broils over. I don't give that thing another chance to attack before I'm hacking it to pieces. The robot falls apart beneath my sword, and when the Kraang squeezes out from the center, I bring my blade down hard and slice the creature in two._

 _Purple blood and slimy fluids erupt from the dismembered alien and it dies instantly at my feet. I turn on my heels, eyes white, muscles tensed, my mind hell-bent on getting home in one piece, and I throw myself at the remaining Kraang._

 _I'm lost in the blur. My katana gleams in the moonlight, deflecting plasma blasts and severing robotic limbs. Sparks spray through the air and my ears go numb beneath the cacophony of guns firing and aliens shrieking in panic._ _Swinging my blade, I twist, flip, duck, and roll all over the alleyway; I'm so focused on tearing them to pieces that I fail to notice a single droid that's slipped away_.

 _And when I do, it's too late._

 _Out of the corner of my eye, I see the robot sneaking up on Donnie as he tries to shut down the cannon. My heart skips and I open my mouth to scream, but I'm not fast enough. Donnie shouts, whirling around to block some kind of ammunition the droid is shooting at him, and I move to lunge to my brother's aid when I'm suddenly grabbed and slammed into the wall. My head hits the brick with a sickening thud, and my vision becomes splotched with patches of darkness. A groan escapes me as I fight to regain my senses, weakly shoving and kicking at the remaining Kraang who have me pinned._

 _But it's Donnie I'm focusing on. It's Donnie who shouts my name, Donnie who trips backwards over the cannon's base—and it's Donnie who gets shot at point-blank range._

 _He drops limp on the pavement with a dull thud that seems to echo through my skull. A scream rips up my throat. I smack the nearest robot with the hilt of my katana, knocking the head clean off. With a powerful kick to the chest, I send it flying back into the opposite wall. I'm back on my feet, swinging my blades in a furious storm of cold steel and rage, running to my brother._

 _"_ _Donnie!" I cry frantically, letting out an animalistic snarl and slicing the robot that shot him right down the middle. The Kraang's body splits between the blade, spewing bodily fluids and thick blood all over my plastron. I shove the machine aside and hit the asphalt on my knees, gasping for breath._

 _"_ _D-Donnie." Panting, I reach for him, searching for the fatal wound, but my eyes catch the dart sticking out from his neck and my shoulders slump._

 _"_ _Tranquilizer," I breathe. His bo staff has been snapped in two and the same darts protrude from the wood. My face contorts and I lean over him, pulling the tranquilizer from his skin and chucking it across the alleyway in anger._

 _There's no time to waste. Sheathing my katanas, I slip my arms beneath his and haul him up over my shoulder. My ankles twinge with a sharp pain and I stumble, struggling to keep on my feet._

 _This wasn't how tonight was supposed to go. We weren't supposed to lose this badly, to be cornered and shot, running home with our tails between our legs. I grunt and shift Donnie's weight in discomfort._

 _I just have to get us both to safety. Just a few more blocks, and we'll be home free._

 _But I'm not given the chance to even escape the alley. Almost a dozen droids come rushing in, blocking my route to the cross-street. I curse loudly and step back with a slight limp. Donnie's getting heavier, and my blades aren't within my reach. I can't put him down or he might get hurt, but I can't fight holding him like this._

 _Turning my head in every direction, I take a step back, in a desperate attempt to come up with some sort of plan._ _But we're trapped, injured, and disarmed._

 _I curse again—Sensei would slap me upside the head if he heard me right now—and bare my teeth at my attackers._

 _There's no way out—_

 _I can't do this—_

 _We're both going to die here—_

 _I take off running like a maniac. Going for the fire escape, I practically launch myself towards the metal rungs._ _I snatch the first one, swearing as the strain pulls one of the muscles in my shoulder, and heave Donnie up and over onto the landing._ _His body clangs against the metal, and I try to climb the rest of the way up, but I can't even grab the next rung before something wraps around my foot. I gasp when I'm suddenly yanked down from the ladder. The fall is short and swift, but I still hit the ground hard enough to send a jolt through my bones._

 _I spin on my shell and twist up onto my feet, eyes wide, heart pounding, and my mind completely snapped. I lunge for the first Kraang-droid I see and deliver a kick that busts its knee through. It stumbles back and I go after it, seething with frustration and rage. But it's too much, there's too many, and I find myself being snagged from all sides by robotic arms and hands._ _Cold hands pull me back as the familiar whiz of a dart gun whistles in my ear before meeting its mark._ _I arch my spine sporadically in an effort to dodge the tranquilizer, but it merely sticks into my thigh._ _Swatting it from my flesh, I struggle violently, frantically trying to escape my captors_ _. I'm shot again, and again and again, until there's too many darts littering my battered form for me to pull out. My senses are heightened, dulled, and sharpened again, and the world around me becomes a blur of dripping colors and shades of pain. Fear takes hold of me, constricting my chest, my lungs, my heart, until I feel like I'm drowning._

 _I grunt, snarl, shout and kick, fighting the drug, fighting the horde, but it's not enough. I'm not enough. The chaos of battle drops when I fall to my hands and knees. My vision sways and tips and melts, and my mind becomes nothing but mush. A thud sends vibrations through my bones and I realize I'm on my back, staring up uselessly at the starless sky._ _The fire escape is at the edge of my fading vision_. _Donnie's up there. Donnie…_

 _The cold comes in, seeping through my flesh, my muscles, my bones. It drags me down to the dark waters. My mind struggles to hold onto consciousness, but I can't. I just…can't._

 _My heart thumps once, twice, three times in my chest. My eyelids feel heavy, like the rest of me, and I start to sink. Further…and further…and further…_

 _And then I drown._

…

My consciousness surfaces like a bubble rising in the thick sludge of my mind. It's slow and distorted, warping the moments that brought me to this drugged state as if I'm looking through a bent lens. My mind trudges along, gears clicking gradually, and my thoughts begin to turn.

A sound escapes me. A groan, low and hoarse, pushes weakly up my throat.

My eyes peel back, sticky with mucus and grime. The signal from my eyes to my brain seems to be lagging as my vision remains blurred and splotched, and it becomes a struggle to keep my eyelids lifted.

The effects of the drug are slowly wearing off, leaving my head pounding as it rolls to the side. My mouth is dry, my tongue is sticky, and my breath tastes stale and bitter. I'm sore all over, and as my sight begins to return, I find myself with bruises and cuts littering my form. Every single muscle is tense and rigid, and even my lungs feel heavy, strained by each breath.

I smack my tongue against the roof of my mouth and attempt to focus my gaze on my surroundings. The world around me is mushy, gray, and cold. Walls on every side gleam like chrome. There's a door in front of me with two slim windows on either side and one in the middle. The thick glass shines iridescent purple and splits a seam in my mind, allowing familiar memories to trickle in.

I've seen this before…

I moan and lift a hand to wipe the mucus lining the tender flesh of my eyes when I notice something on my wrists. I swallow against a dry throat and stare down at the metal contraption linked tight around the flesh, biting into my skin. The same piece clamps around my other wrist as well, almost like handcuffs—except there's nothing linking the two together.

A frown pulls at my lips. What is this?

I blink harder and clench my jaw as the fog slowly draws upwards, clearing the expanse of my mind. Thoughts start to seep in like waves timidly lapping at the shore, and memories wash up. Little pieces, snippets and shards to a bigger puzzle. I snatch at them frantically, trying to make sense. Trying to understand. Trying to…

To…

 _Donnie._

My heart thumps as the name suddenly surfaces in the muck of my muddled brain.

 _Donnie._

Donnie was there, with me. He was hurt and then…and then…

 _Donnie._

Where…where am I now?

 _Donnie's not here._

My head throbs, pulsing with confusion and fear. My gut twists beneath my plastron and a feeling of deep dread slips through my veins.

 _Calm down,_ I think stiffly. _Just…try to remember… Focus._

I take a steady breath and let it all come back to me. My frown deepens and I clench my eyes shut in concentration. And like a wave of cold water, reality spills over me. I sit up much too quick and gasp out of pain and shock.

"D-Donnie," I huff, swallowing hard. "Donnie?" Finding my voice beneath the rawness of my throat, I shout. "Donnie!"

I scramble to my feet, wincing at the discomfort pulsating through my being. My head hurts. Everything hurts.

 _He's not here._

"Donnie!" I cry out.

 _He's gone. He's gone, he's gone, he's gone—_

No, but he was there with me, in the alley, and the Kraang had us cornered—

They shot him. And then…then they shot me.

There's a deep ache in my lungs as I struggle to control my breathing. My eyes begin to scour my body while the memories pulse through my brain, vivid and terrifying, and I find my hands quickly following, grazing over each cut and bruise. But my more thorough examination only leads to more confusion and fear when my fingers catch on some kind of indentation left in the middle of my chest.

 _What…what is that?_

Straining my neck, I stare down and realize that there's a deep hole in my plastron, right between my two upper chest plates. The room starts to tip as an overwhelming nausea washes over me, flushing my skin with a sickening heat.

There's a hole in my chest. _Why_ is there a hole _in my chest_?!

My hands continue to search the small wound while my brain scrambles for an explanation. It's the size of a pen—perfectly round and smooth—but there's no blood or trace of injury that I can see. The worst part isn't even the fact that I have no idea what it's for, but the fact that I can't remember how it got here. Clenching my eyes shut, I rifle through my memories, examining my brain for something, _anything_ , that can explain what the shell is going on.

But I only remember what happened before I blacked out. There's nothing else after that…

My eyes widen and a tendril of fear slips down my spine, chilling my nerves. I start to tremble and my breath draws quick and short, laden with effort.

I have to get out. I have to get out _now._

My feet shuffle beneath me, dragging my body towards the door, but the movement is too much, too quick, and I practically collapse and slump against the cold metal. Grunting, I pull myself to my knees to get a look out one of the windows, but all I see is an empty hallway and more faint purple lights. I feel along the door and spread my arms in search for some kind of lock—

" _Ahh!_ " A searing pain rips through my body and sends me sprawling on the floor. I lie on my side, gasping, choking for relief beyond the electric shock that just ran me through. My face contorts in pain and a groan pushes past my teeth. I have no idea what just happened. Was it because I touched the door, or was it…

 _Wait._

Fearful of another shock, I carefully raise both of my hands over my head to observe the metal pieces biting into my skin. There's no visible chain connecting the cuffs, but there must be some sort of signal running between them. The electricity might've come from there. I mean, I touched the door earlier and I wasn't shocked, so it's got to be the handcuffs…right?

A growl rumbles deep in my chest, irritating my lungs and throat. I grunt as I sit back up and stare down at the confinements on my wrists. Taking a deep breath, I begin to cautiously spread my arms, gradually increasing the distance between each cuff until my hands are about a foot apart—

 _ZAP!_

I cry out as another flash of lightning shoots through my system. Falling back, my head smacks the hard floor and sends my senses reeling.

 _Yep...it's definitely the cuffs._

My nostrils flare with labored breath while I struggle to keep calm until the spasms in my muscles fade. And lying on the cold floor, chest heaving, my mind becomes a whirlwind of fear and anxiety as understanding grips me like a vice.

The walls, the cuffs, the darts—

Prisoners. We're prisoners.

My heart thumps loudly against my ribs and sweat beads along my brow, dripping down the sides of my face despite the cold. The lingering effect of the shock has my muscles twitching periodically beneath my flesh, but the terror is enough to drown everything else out.

They kidnapped us. Drugged us and took us to this place. And now I'm alone in this cell, handcuffed and under constant threat of being electrocuted, while Donnie's out there somewhere, in danger and probably scared out of his mind and there isn't a thing I can do about it—

I grit my teeth against the onslaught of horrifying thoughts. I can't think like that… I have to be strong and rational. Fear will just cloud my judgment, and that's the last thing I need right now.

But still…to know my brother's beyond my reach and in harm's way freezes the blood in my veins. And part of me suddenly fears that Raph and Mikey are locked up as well, but I shake my head viciously and snarl at the thought. I have to believe they got away. I have to believe that they're safe at home, with Sensei. I've already got Donnie to worry about—anything else will drive me mad.

Taking deep breaths, I lie still on the floor. My eyes scour the small cell while I attempt to calm my spirit.

 _Think rational_ , I tell myself. _Observe your surroundings, study your enemy, and then plan for escape._

Four walls, one door, no lock, three windows with glass I doubt I could break on my own, and electrical restraints pinned on my wrists. I don't know where I am, and I don't know why the Kraang have brought me here. I have no means of escaping and no bearings to create any strategies. That's everything I'm aware of now, and none of it is going to help me at the moment. No, this is something that's going to require a lot of patience…and courage.

It's going to take everything I've got, and maybe more, to escape from this place and get my brother home safely.

I just hope I'll survive long enough to try.

~T~

In this blanket of darkness, a thumping sound pulses in my ears. For a minute I think it's my heart, but as consciousness prods me awake, I realize the sensation is coming from my throbbing head. A groan escapes my dry lips. I painfully swallow the dryness in the back of my throat with the small amount of saliva that has pooled in my mouth. My chest aches with each breath I take, but I push the discomfort aside. Trying to open my eyes is like trying to lift sandbags with my eyelids. Despite the headache threatening to pull me back into unconsciousness, I manage to marginally open my eyes into small slits. I hiss at the bright overhead light as I squeeze my eyes shut and clumsily turn my head away. I groan again as the jerking movement feels like 50-pound bag of potatoes was dropped on my brain. Note to self: turning head is not a viable option at the moment.

As I open my eyes again, everything is doubled and swirling. My head fills like it's stuffed with cotton and I can only assume it means someone drugged me….heavily. I lazily try to focus on the blurry images in my view. Squinting, I finally see the glass panel on the wall as my vision becomes clearer. In the reflective glass, I see myself strapped down on some type of examination table. It takes my foggy brain several minutes to signal my arms and legs to move, but when they finally do it only confirms my current confinement. It's hard to tell whether I have any bodily damage with the metal straps restricting my movement. So far, I just have a pounding headache and a sore chest. With a sigh, I focus on the next task at hand. I'm not looking forward to turning my head again, but it's the only way to figure out where I am. With effort that seems too much for the task at hand, I lug my head to look to my right. I moan as the change of view gives me sense of vertigo. Briefly, I close my eyes, breathing down the nausea that managed to work its way up my esophagus before pausing. However, the sickeningly feeling only intensifies after spotting rolling cart beside me covered with surgical knives, forceps, a drill, and is that….is that a breast ripper?

Okay, whoever is behind this obviously does not have a clue about mutant turtle anatomy….which may explain why I'm in some sort of laboratory. The light reflects off something tall and metallic in the corner of the room. I crane my neck downward to get a better look. It's a robot with an empty torso cavity. The Kraang.

I grunt as broken and sluggish flashbacks pound into my temple and pictorial memories flitter through my mind.

…..

 _My eyes drift open and then immediately widen at the sight around me. Buttons, dials, GPS maps, gages….an engineer's dream come true! I lean forward to get a better look at the electronic panels in front of me, but immediately feel a restriction around my waist._

 _Looking down, I'm seated in some sort of concave chair that scoops perfectly around my shell, and there's a metal band acting as a seat belt across my waist. My arms and legs are free, but no amount of flexing or squirming will get me loose. The ceiling, floor, and walls create a close quarters and are made of a sleek dull metal. It looks like I'm in a pod of some kind… I notice the window to my right._

 _Okay….apparently it's a flying pod..._

 _The proverbial wheels start turning in my brain as the pod speeds through an endless pink fog, roughly dodging bizarre, floating crystalline structures. "I'm in Dimension X?" The question is directed to no one in particular since I'm the only one in the snug little pod. Which raises the question: Where are my brothers? ...I remember splitting up –Raph and Mikey, Leo and me. Raph and Mikey ran ahead, but Leo and I were cornered, outnumbered….Leo distracted the Kraang while I shut down the laser cannon, but everything's fuzzy after that… Were my brothers captured as well, or was I the only one?_

 _"Initiate the sequence of environmental adaption that will environmentally adapt the species known as mutant turtle."_

 _My thoughts are cut short by the sound of overly wordy Kraang speech. There's a sudden electronic noise that hums over my head. I look up in horror as robotic hands reach down to grab me. Leaning forward, I try to pull myself from the metal belt but the engineered hands dig roughly into my shoulder forcing my shell back into the chair. My struggling is fruitless as more metal arms hold me in place. A mechanical arm with a fluid-filled syringe lowers in front of me. Before I have a chance to yell a useless protest, the syringe shoots forward, hitting my plastron._

 _I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding as the needle bends into a 'U' shape upon contact with my front plate. Our plastrons aren't nearly as strong as our carapace, but they definitely have their advantages. My relief is short-lived as the syringe retracts into the larger cylinder of the arm only to start buzzing loudly as a small drill reemerges in its place. I kick my legs out, shake my head side to side—anything to stop what's coming next. The arms holding me down apply more pressure to my torso holding my upper body unbelievable still, all while leaving space for the approaching drill. Staring wide-eyed at the spinning drill, I'm too afraid to look away._

 _My eyes water, but I don't blink. The pressure from the drill goes from uncomfortable to downright painful as chips of my plastron billow up in a small cloud of dust. The only thing I'm thankful for is the speed at which the drill is rotating—it makes the drilling fast. I gasp as the drill breaks past the other side of my plastron, briefly pinching the skin beneath it before quickly extracting itself. I don't have time to calm my pounding heart as the syringe immediately ejects into the newly created pen-size hole in my upper plastron._

 _"Haah..aah—" my scream gets lost somewhere between the painful injection and the pink fluid being forced into my chest cavity. It BURNS! ….My entire chest feels like it's on fire, scorching me from the inside out. The multiple arms release me as the syringe-wielding device draws back into its compartment. The administration was quick, but the lingering flames still swell painfully in my lungs. I try to take a deep breath but several deep coughs choke the air out of my throat. My hands scratch at my throat as the fiery sensation erupts up my esophagus like toxic indigestion. Tears brim over and spill from my eyes as I breathe out heavily and painfully, but it sounds weak and breathless like an asthma attack. The volcanic burning works its way from my lungs all the way up to my mouth, leaving behind an agonizingly raw sensation._

 _After a few minutes, the fire minimizes to a small simmer in my chest, but it still hurts terribly to breathe deeply. I lay my hand gingerly over the drilled hole in my plastron, taking small steady breathes._

 _Environmental adaption complete. Kraang pod prepared for landing in ten…nine…eight…_

 _I frown at the static voice on the communication speaker. It sounds like a Kraang, but…not a Kraang?..._

 _My ears feel heavy with atmospheric pressure as the pod drops awkwardly like an elevator in a shaft. Okay, Donnie get it together. You've got less than eight seconds to come up with a plan of escape. I don't know what to expect when this thing lands, so I'll have to think on my feet. The pod comes to an abrupt stop as the metal seatbelt is released from my waist. Within seconds the floor beneath slides like a trap door and the chair I'm in dumps me out of the spacecraft. I tuck myself into a flip as I prepare to land from the merciless fall. The drop is only a few feet from the ground, but as soon as my feet make contact my eyes widen as my leg stiffens beneath me._

 _"Aaah!" Falling awkwardly to a cold metal floor, I completely forgot about my leg. I guess Leo was right; the bruise is deeper than I thought. A second later I attempt to hold my breath against the toxic Dimension X air but realize, despite the seizing aches in my chest, I'm not having any immediate problems breathing the foreign air. My fumbling miscalculation costs me valuable time as I push myself to my feet._

 _"He's awake! You fools, don't just stand there! ...Apprehend him immediately!"_

 _Since when did Kraang start using contractions and proper sentence structure? Pondering this, I look for a way out as I limp and dodge robotic Kraang droid limbs reaching to capture me. Environmental adaption….I'm pretty sure shoving that oversize syringe in my chest like a baster in a thanksgiving turkey has something to do with it._

 _A quick scan of my surroundings tell me this is some kind of prisoner transfer sector as I see other pods dropping creatures onto platforms similar to the one I'm standing on. There are Kraang droids everywhere—I'm surrounded. I reach behind me but I grasp air instead of my staff. Cursing the loss of my weapon, I duck and maneuver to the side to avoid being snatched by a droid. I bite back a cry of pain as my leg spasms from the exertion. Reaching into my belt pocket, I toss shurikens, each one meeting its mark and hitting the motherboard in the head component of three droids. Twisting my hip to deliver a front push kick to a charging droid, my bruised leg comes back down too stiff and throws off my stance by at least an inch which slows my reaction time down five seconds. Five seconds was all it took for an annoying sting to hit my arm. I quickly pull the dart out, but that one inch of miscalculation throws off everything else I do so terribly that two more darts pinch my neck before I can even blink. I take a clumsily step forward before my world tilts from the sudden vertigo and darkness covers my consciousness._

...

The sudden memory just makes my headaches worse as my panic starts to rise. For a moment, I try to make myself believe this is all just a crazy dream, but one look at the drilled hole in my plastron tells me otherwise. I'm strapped to a lab table, completely stripped of my gear on another planet, and I don't know where my brothers are or if they're even alive. An electronic beeping noise makes me gasp and tense my body as my attention is drawn to the closed door on the other side of the room. It sounds like some kind of keypad being activated on the other side of the door, which means someone's coming in here….

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Silver: How are our boys going to get out of this one? I sense dark grittiness ahead! :D Anyone who's read Poetique's insanely amazing "Logic of the Soul" fanfiction knows she's got dark and gritty DOWN. I'm so excited to get to those parts, you guys don't even know! xD** **Anyway, thank you so much for all the encouragement and reviews you guys have left! It truly inspires us to write the best we possibly can. And again, thank you for your patience, and don't forget to leave a review!**

 **Poetique: Sorry for the delay! Silvermoon and I have been pretty busy in RL, but I hope this chapter made up for it :) It's such a blast writing with Silvermoon, her action scenes are fierce, yo! You guys know the drill, leave a review, it feeds our desire to write, lol :) what will become of Leo and Donnie? Stay tuned to find out! XD**


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